No charges have been filed against any of the three officers, but they have been suspended without pay.

Two "separate and distinct" investigations into the incident are ongoing in the Police Department, according to Chief Christopher Cole. The criminal investigation is being handled by Assistant Chief Greg Veitch, while Capitan Michael Chowske is heading the internal investigation.

Cole said the internal investigation may result in anything from a loss of vacation days to termination "and anything in between."

According to police, the three officers were involved in a fight at the Caroline Street bar in the early morning hours of Monday. Cole said a man called the police department and said he had been assaulted by "one or more off-duty police officers."

Police say he went to the hospital for treatment of "non-serious injuries."

Cole said he could not discuss any further details of either investigation Wednesday.

The two investigations are separate because the rules guiding them are different. For instance, District Attorney James A. Murphy III explained, in an internal investigation, the police officers are required to give statements about the incident. On the other hand, in a criminal investigation "the officers would have constitutional rights just like everyone else."

They have the right to remain silent and the right to invoke the Fifth Amendment so as not to incriminate themselves. That means compulsory statements made during the internal investigation -- known as Garrity statements -- cannot be used a criminal case.

Murphy said he has handled police misconduct cases in which "we suspected (the police officers) of having made admissions of minor criminal conduct, but they made no voluntary statements in the criminal investigation."

Cole said he and Murphy would be meeting later in the week to discuss potential criminal charges against one or more of the officers. Murphy, though, said "ultimately the charging decision is with the police."

He said that even if the alleged assault does not rise to the level of criminal behavior, disciplinary action still may be taken because the department has policies regarding the off-duty behavior of its members.

Cole said if there are no criminal charges, legally "anything we find will not be public information."

Cole said Public Safety Commissioner Christian Mathiesen will make the decision about disciplinary action.

However, he said if charges are filed, information on the incident will be public.

When contacted Wednesday, Mathiesen said he could not comment because it is a personnel issue.

"The information will come out once the investigation is complete," he said. He would not confirm any of the names of the officers suspended.

Leffler was the third highest paid employee in the city in 2011. He was hired in 1990 and made $110,226 last year, much of which was due to overtime.